Mundt



March 24, 1964 P, MUNDT 3,126,117

RESILIENT CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 5, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 AWTFGi /S P. MUNDT RESILIENT CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS March 24, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5, 1962 FIG. 2

March 24, 1964 P. MUNDT 3,126,117

RESILIENT CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 3, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ei er M47101? United States Patent 3,126,117 RESELTENT CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS Peter Mundt, Munchener Str. 12, Garmisch- Partenkirchen, Germany Filed Dec. 3, 1962, Ser. No. 241,916 Claims priority, application Germany Dec. 5, 1961 11) Ciaims. (Cl. 21537) This invention relates to improvements in resilient closures for containers such as glass or aluminium phials for tablets, drages, etc., and more especially to closures of the type provided with a plurality of resilient spacing elements the ends of which are arranged to locate the contents of the container when the latter has been filled and closed. A closure of this type is described, for example, in patent specification No. 729,168, now US. Patent 3,089,086.

Known closures of this type have spacing elements which, in the non-stressed condition, are either straight or spiral-shaped, their lower ends being connected by means of an open ring or a continuous (i.e. not apertured) plate. The spiral-shaped spacing elements have the advantage, relatively to the straight ones, that greater distances between the cap of the closure and the contents of the container can be bridged. Therefore, the most common closure of this type is provided with spacing elements which, in the non-stressed condition, are spiralshaped. Closures of this type also have spacing elements which, instead of being spiral-shaped, have a pro-formed bend, although this type of closure has not become popular in practice.

However, the hitherto known closures of this kind suffer from various disadvantages. First of all, the tools for making spacing elements which, in the non-stressed condition, are already spiral-shaped or pre-bent are complex and expensive. In particular, the removal from the tool of closures of this type continues to present certain problems in practice. Also, if the lower ends of the spacing elements are joined by a ring, as is sometimes the case, then its diameter must be limited by the diameter of the guide ring of the closure cap, with the result that, in the case of drage-bottles, there is no possibility of locating those drages which are situated in the body of the bottle which is wider than the bottle neck. Closures of this type, when used for bottles, may be provided with a plate instead of a ring. However, the diameter of a plate is also limited by that of the bottle neck, so that there is no advantage for the purpose of locating drages in the widened body of the bottle. All that is achieved in the latter case, is that drages are prevented from penetrating through an open ring and lodging between the spacing elements, which would impair their resilience. The provision of such a plate, however, has the disadvantage that the closure and the spacing elements must be manufactured separately and assembled by hand. If, on the other hand, the ring exceeds a certain diameter, it becomes necessary to provide the ring internally with radially extending strips or like elements, in order to prevent the drages from passing through it.

Another disadvantage of closures with spacing elements which are spiral-shaped or pre-bent in the nonstressed state arises during the mechanized filling and closing of the phials, tubes, bottles and like containers. Since these closures are delivered to the pharmaceutical industry in bulk, the spacing elements are very often deformed so that they project laterally beyond the body of the closure cap, because they have no support in directions perpendicular to the central axis of the closure, due to the shape of their cross-section. Closures with spacing elements deformed in this way cause trouble and hold-ups during the automatic closing of the phials, tubes, bottles, etc.

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Another known closure for tubes or phials intended for pills, tablets, etc., consists of a resilient, synthetic material and is provided with a tablet locating device comprising a closed ring spaced from the body of the closure and connected to the closure cap by means of eight strips or ribs which, in the non-stressed state, are straight. In this known construction it is entirely left to chance in which direction the strips will yield when stressed. Usually they bend outwards as well as inwards. When the strips happen to bend inwards they do so in a radial direction so that they meet one another at the central axis of the closure and thus brace themselves against one another. This makes the full resilient displacement of the ring impossible.

The present invention provides a closure of the type referred to, in which the spacing elements are straight when not stressed, but when stressed can bend inward without fouling one another. This construction leads to a number of advantages. For example, with the same expense of material as in known closures it is possible to bridge a far greater gap than in the case of spacing elements which have been pro-formed in spiral or bent shape in the non-stressed condition, or alternatively the same gap can be bridged with far less expense of material. Thus, according to the invention a maximum axial resilient displacement may be achieved with a minimum expense of material. Owing to the fact that the spacing elements are of such a cross-section that when stressed they bend inwards instead of outwards there is no limitation of the resilient displacement thereof such as might be caused by the guide ring of the closure cap or the neck of the container, should the spacing elements be outwardly displaced.

Another advantage of the closure according to the invention lies in the fact that it is no longer necessary to block any opening in the means connecting the lower ends of the spacing elements in order to prevent the contents of the container from entering the space be tween the spacing elements. It is the spacing elements themselves which, when stressed, bend inward and thus automatically provide an adequate screen for this opening which prevents drages, pills, etc., from entering.

Finally, in the present invention the spacing elements, owing to their shape in the non-stressed condition, are sutficiently stiff to resist the undesirable outward deformation beyond the guide ring of the closure cap, evenv when the closures are packed in bulk, and will thus remain in satisfactory condition during storage. On the other hand, the spacing elements bend immediately when the closures are used for automatic closing of containers and they happen to touch the rim of a container opening, so that the element connecting the lower ends of the spacing elements to one another is also bent and can thus slide easily into the container. Therefore, hold-ups in the automatic filling and closing process can be avoided.

The inward bending type of spacing element as disclosed by the invention can be constructed in a number of ways.

In one embodiment of the invention the spacing elements have on the inner surface an integral ridge of material extending preferably in the longitudinal direc, tion. In this way, such reinforcement of the spacing elements is achieved that they are effectively prevented from bending when a large number of closures is packed together. Also the distribution of material has the effect that, when the closure is moulded from thermoplastic material, the material takes longer to cool on this side. This phenomenon can still be increased by arranging the cooling of the tool accordingly. This leads to a onesided contraction of the material whereby the inward bending of the spacing element under stress can be ensured.

In a further embodiment the free ends of the spacing elements are joined to two connecting members which form opposite sides of a rectangle, preferably to the inner edges thereof. In another embodiment, the connecting members may be arranged in triangular formation. Preferably, the cross-section of the connecting members is tapered towards the spacing elements to which they are joined. This also helps to produce the result that the spacing elements are comparatively stiif in the non-stressed state, while being capable of bending inward under stress.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, .the intermediate connecting members which connect those connecting members joined to the spacing elements, are concave in the direction towards the closure cap. In this way a rotational centre is formed about which the connecting elements which support the spacing elements can move so that the spacing elements are caused to bend inwards.

In all these embodiments the closure and preferably the spacing elements can be produced from the same material and in one piece. If it is not necessary to take advantage of this, the spacing element may of course also be produced as an inset and subsequently connected to the closure in any desired manner.

As mentioned above the known closures suffer from disadvantages especially for the resilient support of pills, drages or like material in bottles with a constricted neck and wide body because the diameter of the spiral-shaped spacing element provided with a ring or plate mus-t substantially correspond to the diameter of the bottle neck. In these applications, however, it is desirable to provide at the lower end of the spacing elements a spacing plate the diameter of which is greater than that of the neck and which collapses in the manner of a fan when passing through the narrow neck, while subsequently unfolding in the interior of the bottle in such a way that the whole diameter or nearly the whole diameter of the inner space is filled and not even a part of the contents can get past the plate. To achieve this object, the plate in the case of a known closure is slightly corrugated and/or the thickness of its material tapered ofl? towards the rim. However, the plate of this known closure is contniuous (i.e. not apertured) with the consequent disadvantage that the closure cannot be injection-moulded in one operation. The spacing element with its plate has to be produced as an inset or must in some other way be subsequently connected to the closure cap, for example, by cementing.

The invention overcomes this disadvantage in that the above-mentioned plate is replaced by a construction in which the connecting elements have sector-shaped vanes projecting therefrom. By eliminating a continuous plate it is thus possible to produce a one-piece closure for the same application.

If at least one of the vanes joined to the connecting elements attached to the spacing elements is stiffened or reinforced, then the reinforced vanes contribute further towards the tendency of the spacing elements to bend inward under stress.

'In order that the spacing elements may have suflicient resistance against outward deformation beyond the guide ring of the closure cap, which may occur when closures are packed in bulk, while being able to bend inwards and enter the container opening if they should foul this opening when the closures are mechanically placed on the tubes, phials, bottles, etc., the closure of the invention may be so constructed that the ridge of material on each spacing element terminates at a shorter distance from the connecting elements. A weakened point is thus formed at which the spacing elements will immediately bend inward relatively to the connecting elements as soon as they make contact with the contents of the container, without the necessity for a pre-formed bend that could present difiiculty from the injection-moulding point of view. Since the weakened point of each spacing element is near the rectangle of connecting element, whereas 4 the remaining part of the spacing element is reinforced with a ridge of material, there is no risk of the spacing elements bending outwards.

In this embodiment of the invention, the free ends of the spacing elements may be joined merely to the adjacent edge of the connecting element. Again, this construction avoids a pre-formed bend which is diflicult to mould. On the other hand, it produces bending when the connecting elements meet the contents of the container. An important feature is the increase of resilient displacement which is obtained owing to the fact that the spacing elements can move past one another. The known spacing elements, on the other hand, which are provided with a pre-formed bend have only a short resilient displacement which terminates when the bent portions of the spacing elements touch the guide ring of the closure cap or the wall of the container neck.

It is of particular advantage if the connecting elements to which the spacing elements are attached are made wider than the intermediate connecting elements, so that when pressure is applied they can yield inward until they are level with the intermediate connecting elements. This ensures that the spacing elements can easily slide into the container opening even if they are deformed.

Closures constructed according to ths embodiment of the invention are particularly advantageous in comparison with the known closures for the resilient support of pills or drages in bottles with narrow openings and a wide body. In order to obviate the previously described disadvantages of these known closures, according to a further feature of the invention, at least one of the segmentshaped vanes which are attached to the connecting elements to which the spacing elements are joined, and preferably the vane attached to the centre of the connecting element, is slightly angled towards the closure cap so as to be displaced from the plane of the remaining vanes. Since the closure of the invention is provided, as it were, with a three-fold weakening which favours inward bending, even a slight contact of one of its segment-shaped vanes with the edge of the container opening will be sufficient, during mechanical filling, to initiate the inwardbending movement. This advantage is enhanced still further if the vane deformed in a downward direction is st-ilfened or reinforced.

If the closure of the invention is not to be used for bottles with a narrow neck and a wide bulge, it is of course possible to provide a shorter segment-shaped vanes, so that the vanes bridge merely the space between the rectangle of connecting elements and the inner wall of a tablet-containing tube.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closure according to the invention in the non-stressed state;

FIG. 2 is a similar view thereof in the stressed state;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation of a further embodiment of closure in the stressed state;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation of the closure shown in FIG. 3, in the non-stressed state;

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation of the closure shown in FIG. 4 displaced through about a vertical axis and FIG. 6 is an underside view of the closure shown in FIGS. 35.

Referring to the drawings, a closure made from polyethylene consists of a cap 1 and a hollow cylindrical guide ring 2 joined thereto, and provided with ribs 3, 4, 5. The fins serve to ensure a close fit between the closure and the container wall. They also facilitate the removal of the closure from the container mouth.

Joined to the inner surface of the cap '1 within are three spacing elements 6, 7, 8. The spacing elements have on their inner surface a longitudinally extending ridge 9. The ends of the spacing elements are spaced from one another by connecting elements 10-, 11, to which they are joined. As can best be seen in FIG. 4-,

the ridges 9 terminate at a distance 12 from the connecting elements 10, 11. The free ends of the spacing elements are joined to the upper edge of the connecting elements 10, 11. Furthermore, as can easily be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the connecting elements are tapered towards the spacing elements 68. The connecting elements ll 11 are connected to one another by means of intermediate connecting elements 13, 14, as shown in FEGS. 3-5, and especially also in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting elements it ll roject beyond the level of the intermediate connecting elements 13, 14, so that when pressure is applied they yield inward and become level with the latter, as can be seen particularly when FIGS. 1 and 2 are compared with one another.

Attached to the connecting elements 19, 11 and the intermediate connecting elements 13, 14, which together form a rectangle, are sector-shaped vanes 15, 16 and 17. Of the sector-shaped vanes, the vanes 16', 17 (see FIG. 3) which are arran ed in the centre of the assembly of connecting elements are slightly angled in a downward direction out of the plane of the other vanes. The vanes 16, 17 are also stifiened or reinforced so that bending of the spacing elements 6, 7, 8 is initiated when a pressure is applied to these two vanes, for example when they touch the container mouth or when they meet the contents of the container.

Owing to the arrangement of the ends of the spacing elements 68 on the two opposite connecting elements ll), 11, it is ensured that the spacing elements can intercalate when stressed (see FIG. 2), without bracing themselves against one another as would be the case if their ends were connected to circular elements such as rings or plates.

I claim:

1. A closure for containers and particularly tablet tubes, pill bottles and the like, said closure comprising a cap portion adapted to engage the mouth of a container, and a plurality of spacing elements having one end thereof extending from said cap portion toward the direction of the interior of the container when said cap portion engages the mouth thereof, said plurality of spacing elements disposed opposite each other and staggered with respect to each other so that they are elongated in an unloaded condition and moved past each other toward the inside of the container when in a loaded condition wherein the other ends of the plurality of spacing elements resiliently engage with the contents of the container, each of said plurality of spacing elements comprising a fiat strip having an integral ridge extending along one surface.

2. -A closure for containers and particularly tablet tubes, pill bottles and the like, said closure comprising a cap portion adapted to engage the mouth of a container, and a plurality of spacing elements having one end thereof extending from said cap portion toward the direction of the interior of the container when said cap portion engages the mouth thereof, said plurality of spacing elenients disposed opposite each other and staggered with respect to each other so that they are elongated in an unloaded condition and moved past each other toward the inside of the container when in a loaded condition wherein the other ends of the plurality of spacing elenents resiliently engage with the contents of the container, said spacing elements connected together by means of connecting elements arranged in a rectangle, each spacing element being joined to one or other of two opposite connecting elements, the shape and arrangement of which are such that compression of said rectangle of elements toward said closing portion causes said two opposite connecting elements to turn about their longitudinal axes in order to initiate bending of said spacing elements.

3. A closure as claimed in claim 2, in which around the connecting elements are arranged integral sectorshaped vanes dimensioned to extend to a diameter which is wider than the mouth of said container, in order to engage and locate the contents within the body of the container, said vanes being such that they can collapse in order to pass through the mouth of the container and then extend within the container body.

4. A closure as claimed in claim 3, in which at least one vane attached to each of the said two opposite connecting elements is stiffened or reinforced.

5. A closure as claimed in claim 3, in which at least one vane attached to each of the said two opposite connecting elements is arranged to extend towards said closing portion, at an angle to the plane of the remaining vanes.

6. A closure as claimed in claim 2, in which each of said two opposite connecting elements comprises a rectangular portion to which the spacing element or elements are attached, said two connecting elements being inclined with respect to the axis of the closure, and the connecting elements intermediate the latter being of narrower width to allow said two connecting elements to turn.

7. A closure as claimed in claim 2, in which each spacing element is joined to the corresponding connecting element at one longitudinal edge of the latter.

'8. A closure as claimed in claim 7, in which each connecting element has a cross-section which tapers towards the said longitudinal joining edge.

9. A closure as claimed in claim 6, in which the said intermediate connecting elements are curved, being concave towards the closing portion.

10. A closure as claimed in claim 2, in which a portion of each spacing element adjacent the connecting element to which the spacing element is joined is of such a crosssection that it has a lower resistance to bending than the remainder of the spacing element.

Litsenbnrg Oct. 23, 1956 Zimmerman et a1 Apr. 28, 1959 

1. A CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS AND PARTICULARLY TABLET TUBES, PILL BOTTLES AND THE LIKE, SAID CLOSURE COMPRISING A CAP PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE MOUTH OF A CONTAINER, AND A PLURALITY OF SPACING ELEMENTS HAVING ONE END THEREOF EXTENDING FROM SAID CAP PORTION TOWARD THE DIRECTION OF THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER WHEN SAID CAP PORTION ENGAGES THE MOUTH THEREOF, SAID PLURALITY OF SPACING ELEMENTS DISPOSED OPPOSITE EACH OTHER AND STAGGERED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER SO THAT THEY ARE ELONGATED IN AN UNLOADED CONDITION AND MOVED PAST EACH OTHER TOWARD THE INSIDE OF THE CONTAINER WHEN IN A LOADED CONDITION WHEREILN THE OTHER ENDS OF THE PLURALITY OF SPACING ELEMENTS RESILIENTLY ENGAGE WITH THE CONTENTS OF THE CONTAINER, EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF SPACING ELEMENTS COMPRISING A FLAT STRIP HAVING AN INTEGRAL RIDGE EXTENDING ALONG ONE SURFACE. 